Toxic Food — The FDA and Hidden Mycotoxins

The Legal Edition’s recently released program on Toxic Food and Toxic Metals, delves into the issues such as the toxification of our food supply and metal adjuvants that are polluting our nations’ population. In our interview, Dr. Gary Kracoff, NMD, RPh, a Naturopathic Medical Doctor, Registered Pharmacist & Educator, elucidates both worlds of conventional and naturopathic medicine–bringing them both into focus. In discussion, we find that not only emphasize that the FDA not only does not properly regulating our food supply–there is oftentimes no consequences when limits are exceeded. In the FDA Compliance Manuals, it has been seen that since 1982, acceptable levels of mycotoxins (secondary metabolites produced by microfungi) in animal feed was increased from 20ppb to 300ppb a whopping 1500%. These mycotoxins are found in grains fed to animals at these higher levels of which these animals later enter the food chain for human consumption. Many of these mycotoxins have been deemed carcinogenic by the FDA themselves, yet still are allowed to enter our food supply. Unfortunately, the FDA has allowed even more mycotoxin laden grains to the food supply by allowing mixing to 500ppb in animal feed, almost double the allowable 300ppb. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), these Mycotoxins — i.e., secondary metabolites produced by microfungi are capable of causing disease and death in humans and other animals. Despite knowledge by our government that mycotoxins can be deleterious to health, mycotoxin laden grains are not only fed to animals, but also are allowed in human food–cereals, grains, nuts and seeds–even dairy products–but at much lower levels. The maximum level allowed in grains consumed by humans is 20ppb. But what level can really be deemed to be safe? And why is the government allowing these carcinogenic toxins into the food supply? As climate change has been wrecking havoc with crop production, stored grains have also been under siege by humidity and molds–causing elevated levels of mycotoxins in the stored grains. In addition, it has been recently found that herbicides such as glyphosate have been creating more fungi in the roots of the plants that are being grown-and of course, changing the cellular structure of grains using GMO gene sequencing certainly can be seen as a major shift away from conventional and certainly organic growing. No doubt this is in some way responsible for the toxifying of Americans, and the explosion of digestive and gut related problems in the US. So what do we do? Urge your legislators to incentivize sustainable farming and agriculture. Let them know that you do not want chemicals and GMO’s in your food and that of the animals that eventually find their way into the food supply. Not only are these herbicides toxic, but the GMO’s have been proven to be far less nutritious than organics, and even less than their conventional counterparts. Remember, we literally are what we eat. So vote with your pocketbook–demand only organic, free range, and sustainable foods. If each of us votes with our pocketbook, we will no doubt have our voices heard by industry and legislators alike! To see an in-depth article on GMO’s, Glyphosate & Fungi: http://foodintegritynow.org/2015/04/15/dr-robert-kremer-gmos-glyphosate-and-soil-biology/ To see the FDA Compliance Manual & Guidelines: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074703.htm